I'm Still Listening
by financebabe
Summary: Twenty-one years after the story 'Listening' Lucy is coming home for a visit with a new boyfriend accompanying her. Ram, and the guys at RangeMan, overreact from a need to keep their little girl safe. Should read Listening first.


_None of the characters below are mine. Thanks to JE for allowing me to have such a great time with them._

_Jenn (perfectmanhattan) thank you for putting so much of yourself and your time into being the Beta for my stories. Your work here was amazing, thanks._

**I'm Still Listening**

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?" Binkie asked, interrupting my thoughts. "I mean, you're usually quiet, but this is ridiculous even by your standards."

My chatty partner knew me too well for me to try and play it off as nothing. Twenty-one years ago we'd been partnered together and I tried to take him under my wing to help him learn a few things about how to be a real man. A tough guy who doesn't wear his emotions on his sleeve and is intimidating when necessary. I did it as a favor to Stephanie who had a soft spot for the youngest recruit among us and I promised I'd watch over him until she was well enough to do it herself again. We have rotated to other partners for six months every couple of years as required in RangeMan policy, but we always seems to come back together. We have a history, which is comforting and which means that we can rely on each other in ways that we can't with others. We know each other's bad habits, we know each other's family, and most importantly we know each other well enough to trust that they have our back. That kind of trust is hard earned and battle tested. Despite his funny nickname, he has proven himself time and time again and there is no one else I'd rather work with.

I decided to just tell him what was on my mind. "Lucy is coming home today."

"Yea, I know, you've been looking forward to it since she left for college back in September." He replied.

Our oldest daughter Lucy was a senior at Boston College in Massachusetts. She is a pre-law student, and based on her grades and her aptitude, I expect her to her to a judge in less than ten years. Steph thinks I'm pushing it, but I know my daughter can do it if she sets her mind to it.

"She called last night to remind us that she was bringing a friend with her," I continued on. "We knew she was going to have a guest and Steph had her room all set up for it already."

"What's the trouble with that? You guys have company all the time," Binkie pointed out.

"I know," I cut him off. "But what she had failed to mention before is that this time her friend is going to be her new boyfriend, Jonathan."

Binkie let out a long whistle. "I didn't know she had a boyfriend."

I tried to make my fist relax. "I didn't either," I said through clenched teeth. Making a more concentrated effort to relax, I explained what I knew. "Apparently they've known each other for the last two years as friends in the same social circle, but when they went back to school in the fall he asked her out and they've been together ever since."

"What's his major?" Binkie asked.

"History," I responded with no enthusiasm. "What in the hell is he going to do with a degree in history? He probably noticed how motivated my baby is and thinks he can attach himself to her and have himself a lifelong meal ticket."

Binkie tried to calm me down. "Now you don't know that, he might be moving towards teaching, or a master's degree in something. There are things you can do with a degree in history." Of course I noticed that he didn't mention anything specific, which means that he couldn't think of a damned one either.

After a few moments of silence he added, "Besides, haven't you always said Lucy had Steph's instincts for measuring people up?"

I smiled as he talked about my little girl. "Yea, she's a lot like Steph in many ways."

"Then it's probably safe to assume he's not a free loading punk or Lucy would have kicked him to the curb," He pointed out.

We talked about it for a little while and in the end I told Binkie, "I still plan on taking his license and running a complete background check on him and his family while he's here. If he is even thinking about being alone with my daughter he's going to have to prove himself worthy."

Binkie started laughing. "Yea, laugh it up chuckles," I told him. "Your day is coming. Emily is a senior this year which means she'll be leaving home next year and we'll see how you deal with her meeting guys when she's off to college." Suddenly my partner's laughter stopping ringing out in the car.

We talked about our kids and some of the new guys that were coming into RangeMan lately. Ranger had been pressuring me to work a little less in the field and concentrate my time as the range master for Trenton, Boston, and Miami in training and certifying the guys in all the offices. I knew it was probably time to hang up my field shoes, but every time I thought about it I realized how much I would miss being out of the office and I just couldn't do it. Still, fifty-five is beginning to get a little on the old side to be chasing twenty year old punks down alleys. Plus Binkie kept saying that whenever I stepped away from field work that he was going to do it too, I felt like I owed it to him to keep going. He was only forty-seven which seemed way too young to give up on the chase.

A Black SUV pulled up behind us and flashed its lights indicating it was our relief to head back to Haywood. When we stepped out on five, we rushed through filing our report to get the paperwork out of the way. Tank came over and asked if I was excited about seeing my little girl today. Binkie felt like he needed to broadcast that Lucy was bringing a boy home to meet her parents.

Tank nearly doubled over in laughter which caused Lester and Bobby to come over. "What's so funny?" Les asked unable to keep his nose in his own damn business.

Tank told him between fits of laughter. "Ram's little girl is bringing a boy home to meet him today."

The guys thought this was prime time funny and I let them chuckle at my expense for a few minutes before getting pissed off and standing up to leave. I bumped fists with Binkie and told him Steph wanted him, Alyssa and the kids to come over tomorrow night for dinner. He nodded and I told the other clowns I'd see them on Monday. I had already scheduled to take the weekend off so that I could spend some more time with Lucy while she was home.

I drove to our house outside of town and parked in the driveway. I made sure the truck was secure and that all the guns were locked away or snapped in their compartments unseen, taking my spare pieces in their bag with me into the house to lock them up in my safe. Hell, she might be bringing some sort of tree hugger home with her that has a thing against guns. I needed to be sure he didn't accidentally hurt himself.

Steph heard the front door close and came quickly around the corner. "Hey Edmund," She purred throwing her arms around my neck to kiss me. Every time I saw her I was amazed that this sexy woman was my wife. I'll never understand what I did to deserve her, but I thank God every day that she's mine.

I sat my bag down to draw her further into my arms instantly feeling my body respond to having her so close to me. She ended the kiss and pulled back just enough to tell me, "None of that," She pressed her hips against mine to define what 'that' was. "I've got some things I need your help with and Lucy will be here in a couple of hours."

I kissed her once more just because I couldn't help myself, tangling my fingers in her mass of curls. Just before things began to get out of hand I softened my approach and began to back off. But before I let her go I said, "Tonight then."

She smiled and asked, "It's been a while since we've had anyone at home with us. With both the girls away at school we've gotten used to being able to make all the noise we want. Do you think we can do it without getting caught?"

"I can," I teased her back. "And if you can't, I remember where your silk scarves are if we need to use one as a gag to keep you in check."

She swatted at me playfully before turning to walk into the kitchen. When she moved away I noticed her skirt wasn't smooth on the side. I was going to adjust it for her but when it pulled tighter as she took another step I realized what she had done.

She was wearing a thigh holster and was carrying. She knew what that did to me. For years it was her way of telling me she wanted to have sex. I would be walking out the door and she would call to me asking where her thigh holster was. I knew when I came home that night I was going to have a great evening. Or I would come out of the shower and see her strapping in on. I would spend the rest of the day with a goofy smile on my face and then rush home and take her hard and fast.

To hell with a honey-do list, if she really had a gun under that skirt, then she was about to get more than a household helper. I caught up to her just as she was passing through the kitchen door. With one hand I swung her around, and the other I used to run up her skirt to where the mystery bulge was on her leg.

As soon as my hand hit the steel of the Sig, I knew I was right. "You wore this, and then you tried to tell me I would have to wait until tonight and be quiet?" I asked incredulous.

She reddened slightly which I found even sexier, and then used her breathy voice to say, "That was the plan, unless you can think of a better idea." She moved her face toward mine, but stopped an inch from kissing me and held the distance, daring me to meet her halfway.

I've heard that married couples who are together for years lose spontaneity and the spark in their sex life disappears, making it routine and predictable. I don't know what those shitheads are doing, but between me and Steph, it only gets better and better. She is never the same twice. Her reactions are always different, and she's still just as willing to try different things as I am. I swear all I have to do is think about her lying in bed and my body begins to react.

Today was no different. My erection appeared as soon as my hand hit her gun. I allowed the space between us to stay and moved in only to pull back to where I had been. Steph's breathing increased, and then she licked her lips. Hell, as soon as her tongue touched her rose colored lip I was a goner.

"I've definitely got a better idea," I finally told her before claiming her lips as my own. Steph moaned when I used my body to pin her to the wall so that I could use both hands to lift her skirt. Bunching it up at her waist I could see a pair of light pink panties. They were really strings holding lace together, and they were sexy as hell.

I felt Steph begin to unbuckle my belt and get my pants undone just as I pushed the lacy crotch to the side to slide a finger easily inside her. My God she was wet and so hot. As much as I appreciated the panties I tore them off without so much as a second thought.

Steph gave my pants a hard shove downward and lifted one leg to hook it around my hip. I lifted her up with my hands cupping her ass and groaned myself when her hot center came in contact with my dick. I tried to pull back so that I didn't lose control too quickly, but Steph didn't want me to do that. She dug her nails into my back pulling me toward her and saying, "Now Ram, I need you now."

I slammed into her in one fast movement. Then I had to take a hand off of her to brace myself on the wall. I thought for a brief moment that my knees might buckle from the sensation of being inside her. Hot didn't even begin to describe it.

She didn't appreciate me taking a moment to regroup, so she began to move slightly, tightening her muscles around me. Sometimes I thought she did things like this to drive me insane. As she moved her arms around my neck to support her own weight I knew she was going to take charge and begin moving on me. I know some guys like to be in control when they have sex with a woman, but when Stephanie wants to drive I have learned to just relax and go with it. She is a powerful woman and can do amazing things with her body. Today was a prime example of that.

I decided to let her know she could have what she wanted so I told her, "If you need me, then take what you need." I sucked on the skin where her neck met her shoulder and then licked it softly to lessen the sting before whispering, "Take it Steph."

She began to move rocking her hips and clamping down around me with her muscles. I met her thrust for thrust and in only a matter of minutes I could feel her body begin to tighten and I knew she was close. I was on the edge of my own release so I moved one hand to her right nipple and pinched, lightly twisting it between the pads of my thumb and forefinger. "Oh God, Ram!" she cried out pushing hard against me. With one final rock of her hips I came as well, slowing the movement to prolong the sensation.

I always had this urge to stay as connected as possible with her after we'd had sex. I couldn't explain it, but it was overwhelming, like the sexual release triggered some other need to stay close once the physical act itself was finished. Steph understood how it affected me and she held on to me just as tightly.

We stayed that way pressed against the wall for a few minutes before she kissed the side of my face and said, "Well that was a dirty trick to get out of helping me get ready."

We both laughed at her joke knowing full well that was exactly what she wanted to happen. We picked up her torn panties and made our way to the bedroom upstairs so that we could shower and change before Lucy and her cohort arrived.

To save time we jumped in the shower together. I could see in her eyes that Steph wasn't interested in sex, but there was something on her mind because she was absentmindedly rubbing her hand up and down my back while standing behind me under the spray of the shower.

"What is it Steph? What's wrong?" I asked her hoping she would open up to me.

Her body tightened when I spoke, so I knew I was right. Whatever was on her mind was really bothering her. I spun around to take her in my arms and she laid her head on my wet chest, not speaking a word.

I waited, hoping for a hint, but as the silence drew on I reached behind me to shut off the water and then grabbed a towel to wrap around her before she got cold. She nodded as I tucked the towel in the front to hold it up. I knew she was thanking me and my fear about what had her upset only intensified.

"Are you worried about Lucy coming?" I guessed and noticed a single tear escape her eye.

"Steph, tell me," I pleaded unsure what was going on.

"She's growing up, Ram. I don't know how much longer she'll think of coming here as coming home. Pretty soon she'll be looking at law school and moving on to set up her own life. Jonathan is just one small piece of her becoming a woman in her own right and it's hard to let go of her as my baby."

I wanted to object to everything she was saying, because her words physically hurt to listen to. I wasn't sure if it was seeing my wife upset that affected me so strongly or the fact that I recognized the truth in what she was saying about our oldest daughter.

I pushed her hair away from her face and put my forehead against hers. We stayed that way for a few minutes before she lifted a hand and put it over my heart. "I know you feel it too." I nodded, not feeling any shame in admitting to her that I understood what she meant.

We allowed ourselves a couple more minutes of comfort in each other's arms before we got up to get dressed. Somehow our couple of hours to prepare for their arrival had been reduced to only twenty minutes and Steph was now in full panic mode getting dressed.

I slipped into a pair of Dockers and a button up olive colored shirt that she had laid on the bed, I assumed as a hint. I called out that I was going downstairs to check on dinner. Steph was an excellent wife, but a cook, she was not. Fortunately, tonight's dinner had been made by Steph's mom and was staying warm in the crock pot on the counter and a few slowly simmering pots on the stove top. I knew Helen's pot roast by smell and my mouth began to water at the thought of the tender and moist meat waiting for us.

The smile fell off my face instantly when I wondered if Jonathan would appreciate the trouble Steph went through to get the food for tonight. Oh God, if he was a vegetarian I'd have to show him the door. There was no way I could explain to my seventy-eight year old mother-in-law why a red blooded American male wouldn't eat meat.

I heard Steph's foot steps on the stairs and stepped out of the kitchen to catch a glimpse of her. She was adjusting the locket I gave her ten years ago for Christmas that had pictures of both our daughters in it. She had worn it with a blue dress that wasn't tight, but fitted her perfectly in all the right places. Briefly I wondered if she had put the holster back on under the dress. Shit, the things that woman could do to me without even trying.

Just as my mind and body began to wrestle for control, the doorbell rang. I knew no one had gotten to the house without the codes and keys so it had to be Lucy. I wondered why she didn't just let herself in, but Steph blew past me running to answer the door before I could ask her.

"My baby!" I heard Stephanie say and without looking I knew she had Lucy pulled tightly against her chest in a hug. I took a few steps so that I could see that beautiful sight, but blocking my view was the backside of a young boy in blue jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt pushed up on his arms. He was wearing sneakers and looked like he should be attending a football game instead of meeting the parents of his girlfriend. I decided right there that I didn't like him at all.

Lucy's voice asking, "Where's Dad?" tore me from my thoughts and I came around the door and pulled her to me in an embrace just like her mother's before me. I pulled back from her after a moment and said, "You look older, but just as beautiful."

She looked down and a pink tint came across her cheeks reminding me of my wife. "Dad," She said taking my hand in her delicate smaller ones. "I want you to meet someone very important to me." Then she pointed to the punk to my right and said, "Jonathan, this is my Dad." She was grinning from ear to ear.

He at least had the forethought to extend his hand to me so I shook it, keeping the movement to a minimum but the force of my grip to a maximum. "Jonathan," I said, slightly lowering my head to acknowledge him.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," He said looking me in the eye. "My Lucy has told me so much about you."

I dropped his hand immediately when he said, "My Lucy." Steph picked up on it and moved closer to me to place her hand on my arm. Her gentle touch calmed me slightly, but it only reduced the degree of rage I suddenly felt. Lucy did not belong to this jackass and I was going to have to pull him aside tonight to make that point abundantly clear.

The kids had their bags on the porch so I helped them bring their things in and Steph showed Jonathan to the guest room on the second floor, and Lucy went into her room next to ours. Before he walked into his room he paused and looked at Lucy who smiled and waved at him. I wasn't sure what that look was about, but it seemed that I was going to need to stay up tonight to be sure junior over there stayed in his room during the night.

Steph put her arms around my waist and said, "It's always so good to have her back home."

I made a grunt of agreement and Steph grabbed my face between her hands, "Now you listen to me, Ram. Don't you dare do whatever it is your mind is dreaming up. That boy is Lucy's guest and you will treat him nicely. She only comes home a few times a year as it is, and I won't have you ruining her visit by scaring her boyfriend."

I heard her, and I understood what she meant. I couldn't be too aggressive. This situation needed some finesse. I needed back-up. I kissed Steph's head and assured her, "Don't worry; I'll be on my best behavior. There is no way I'm going to ruin her visit home." But I knew exactly who to call that could help me.

We all sat down in the living room where Steph had some snacks and drinks set out. Lucy sat next to me on the couch and Jonathan had the nerve to sit next to her. I remembered my promise and resisted the urge to grab his t-shirt and move him to the straight back chair to the side.

I listened to Lucy talk about her classes and her work schedule. We were lucky that she got her full tuition paid with a scholarship, and Grandma Mazur left her a small trust to cover part of her college costs so her room and board was covered by the old lady with the fast fingers. I was quick to forgive her for all the misery she put me through when I realized what she'd done for both of my girls. Lucy only had to work for her spending money and to support the shoe habit she inherited from her mother.

Steph stood up to "check on dinner" and Lucy jumped up to follow her. I realized then that Jonathan and I were alone so this would be my first opportunity to figure out what kind of scam he was running with my daughter.

"So tell me about yourself, Jonathan," I began channeling my inner drill sergeant hoping to come across as intimidating and stern.

"Well," he began shifting in his seat nervously. I had to hide my internal smile at that. "My name is Jonathan Miller and I grew up in Jacksonville, Florida. I met Lucy in a political science class at the start of our junior year. She was debating with the teacher and I couldn't believe someone would dare to stand up to the professor we all referred to as the Dragon Lady. But there was Lucy, not only disagreeing, but winning. I waited for her after class to introduce myself and we've been friends ever since."

"But now you're more than friends," I prompted to let him know his story wasn't over yet.

"Yes sir," He responded. "Over the summer I realized how much I missed Lucy and I swore that in the fall I would do everything I could to let her know how I felt about her. So I asked her out and we've been dating ever since."

I couldn't listen to the details of their dating. I had my limits and if I was going to keep my promise of not hurting this kid then I needed to change the subject and fast. "Tell me about your parents."

He cleared his throat in another gesture of nervousness. "My parents, Milton and Linda, are both high school teachers and they still live in my hometown. Actually they live in Orange Park just outside of Jacksonville, but most people don't know the difference."

Perfect. He walked right into my trap and gave me everything I needed to know for a basic background check on him and his parents. "So are you planning on going to work after you graduation or will you need more education first?" I asked him.

"I'll have to go into training," He began but before he could finish, the girls came into the room announcing that dinner was ready. I excused myself to wash up and Steph said, "It's almost six, don't dry out the roast." We both laughed at her homage to her mother's biggest fear that a single minute past six would ruin her meal.

I slipped into the bathroom off the main hall and turned on the water before grabbing my cell phone and keying in a text to Binkie who I knew was still at the office. "Run a background check on Jonathan Miller, son of Milton and Linda Miller of Orange Park, Florida. They are both high school teachers. Page me urgent, when complete." I figured that would give him enough info to get started.

I turned off the water and sat down at the head of the table with Stephanie to my right and Lucy to my left. I tried not to look straight ahead at the smiling face of Jonathan who didn't seem to be able to take his eyes of my daughter. I swear if he didn't quit looking at her like she was dinner I was going to turn my fork into a deadly weapon.

We made it through dinner with Lucy and her mother monopolizing most of the conversation. Just as Steph was bringing out dessert my cell phone rang with the tone reserved for emergencies only. Stephanie knew that sound and her brow furrowed with worry. I looked down at Binkie's response and it said simply, "You need to come in. Record Found."

My jaw clenched involuntarily. What in the hell did that mean, 'record found?' Did that mean they had his background check, or that he had a record? What kind of record? Had he been arrested? I'd kill him with my bare hands while he slept and set it up to look like a heart attack if he'd done time and then defiled my daughter with his filthy hands.

Stephanie snapped me from my thoughts by repeating my name until I looked up. "I'm sorry," I said to her and Lucy. The boy could kiss my ass; I didn't owe him an apology or an explanation. He was making me miss precious time with my daughter and I refused to even look at him.

"Do you have to go, Daddy?" Lucy asked. I nodded in return not wanting to say too much to avoid lying to her.

I put my phone back on my hip and stood up to kiss Steph the way I always did when I was called away from the house. "I shouldn't be too long, but something's come up at the office that needs my attention right now. I'll call you if I'm going to be late."

"I'll save you some cake," She told me with a wink. We both knew I could take or leave cake. What I liked was watching her eat it using her tongue to lick every single morsel from the fork. I pulled her to me ignoring the kids beside us, "I'm going to hold you to that," I whispered, loving the blush that crept across her face when I pulled back to look at her.

And with that I ran upstairs to my safe to change. In order to keep the image of an emergency call I put on my uniform of black cargoes and a tight t-shirt. Steph liked to joke that we wore our shirts so tight to incapacitate female targets by making ourselves look as sexy as possible. In truth we wore them snug to avoid the possibility of them getting caught on anything if we had to crawl through tight fitting spaces.

Before I finished getting ready I walked quietly down the hall and looked into the guest room scanning for any sign of what this kid had been into. His bag was opened on the bed. I walked over, but stopped short of going through it. For some odd reason I walked to the window and looked out over the side yard. I looked at the closure on his window and then unlocked it. I had no reason for doing it, but something in my gut told me I'd be glad I did.

Having finished my unsuccessful snooping, I then strapped on my weapons. It always calmed me to know I was fully armed. I was finally dressed with two knives, three guns, a throwing star and my tranquilizer darts. I tied a second knot in my boots and then grabbed my jacket but didn't put it on. I wanted the kid to see how armed Lucy's Dad was so he could understand what I was capable of doing if he crossed a line with my daughter. I had to smile when he took a step backward when I came down the stairs ready to roll.

I made it to the office in record time and ran up the stairs from the garage to the fourth floor where Binkie, Lester and Tank were standing around Vince's desk. Nobody's skills beat Silvio in Miami, but next to Steph, Vince was the best we had at getting background information. I could feel my chest tightening at the look of them congregating there, but I was pleased that it wasn't from the exertion of climbing the stairs two at a time. The extra time Binkie made me spend in the gym was paying off because my breathing hadn't even increased.

"What's going on?" I asked as the guys turned to face me and Vince continued to type away scanning information at a break neck speed.

Binkie spoke up first, "Everything you gave me panned out, his parents both teach at the same school, and have for almost thirty years. They seem to be upstanding citizens. The kid is twenty-three and went straight to Florida State after he graduated from high school, doing his first two years there. Then he dropped out for two years which we can't figure out, and then he reappeared at Boston College two years ago when he first met Lucy."

"You said something about a record," I prompted, wondering if he's spent the missing two years in prison.

"We're having trouble tapping into our sources at the Department of Defense. Vince found a few things that made him think he might have a military record, but now we can't verify it." Binkie finished. There were times when having a talkative member of the group was helpful. At least I didn't have to beat him over the head to get the information.

For a few minutes all that could be heard was the sound of Vince typing and Lester clicking his ball point pen. They all loved my daughter and had taken a great sense of pride in watching her grow up. Most of these guys had no children so in some ways my girls were partly theirs as well. I didn't need to tell them how unsettling it was to think of Lucy with a guy of an unknown past.

Tank was the next to speak, "Should we call Ranger and see if he can get any info for any info from the DOD?"

I didn't want to include Ranger if this turned out to be a wild goose chase, but I needed to get to the bottom of this quickly before things went any further between Lucy and Jonathan.

I ran my hand through my hair and wondered why Steph hadn't told me I needed a haircut. It felt long and she was usually the first one to tell me when I needed a trim. I shook my head to clear the unnecessary thoughts. I didn't think it was possible, but the longer I know Steph, the more I swear her thought processes were wearing off on me. But now was a time for focus, not for scattered worrying about my hair. Thank God I was still able to keep my thoughts to myself. I was a dead man if I ever started thinking out loud like her too.

Tank picked up his cell phone when I nodded and he told Ranger we had a situation we needed his help with. He gave Ranger the cliff notes version and after a few seconds of silence he hung up. "Boss will make a few calls and let us know what he digs up. He said if the system is down he may not be able to get anything so we may need to find another way to get the questions answered."

"What the hell are we supposed to do?" Binkie asked, "Kidnap him from Ram's house and bring him back here to interrogate him?"

It was said as a joke, but as soon as the words came out of his mouth Lester stopped chewing his gum and Vince spun around in his chair. "You know," Lester said, "It would be an easy extraction because we'd have home field advantage."

Binkie tried to be the voice of reason, "And what if he has nothing to hide? What if there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for him to have dropped off the grid for a couple of years? How are you going to explain to Lucy that you stole her boyfriend and roughed him up during the night?"

I ran my hand over my face realizing Binkie was right. I'd lose Lucy's trust if I took him and he turned out to be innocent. It was at that moment that Ranger's office door opened with a bang. He stormed over, checking his weapons as he walked. "DOD's doing a system upgrade so their computers are shut down for the night. There is no way to get any information on this punk unless we go straight to the source."

Clearly Ranger liked Lester's idea and couldn't care less about upsetting Lucy. He then proved once again why he was the leader, "We can't risk him being dangerous and leaving with Lucy alone on the trip back to Boston. That's too much time for an unstable individual to spend with her. If we're wrong, we can apologize and try to explain, but if we're right then it'll be worth it."

No further words were needed. We simultaneously began checking our weapons and Ranger drew out a plan of extraction for the now sleeping Jonathan Miller.

We got to our house, but didn't go through the gate to the driveway. Instead we cut the alarm feed and scaled the fence. Lester and Binkie were going to secure ladders to the side of the house at Jonathan's window and Ranger and I would scale them, secure his mouth with duct tape, bind his hands and feet and then carry him out the window, down to the yard, and back to the waiting SUV where we'd take him back to the office to have a little chat.

It felt great to have the adrenaline rush of a mission as we worked silently in the darkness. We scaled the ladders at the same time and I smiled when I put my hand on the window and it slid up quietly. Ranger raised an eyebrow no doubt wondering why the window was unlocked in the first place. I shrugged knowing now wasn't the time for a discussion about security at my home.

Jonathan was on his back lightly snoring. I almost felt sorry for the kid. He was only a couple of years older than Lucy. When I put the tape over his mouth he would wake up instantly, filled with fear. Then I pushed that image away and thought instead of him taking advantage of Lucy's innocence and I had no more debates of conscience.

Ranger had his cuffs at the ready to get his hands immobilized at the same time I put the tape over his mouth. Then he would hold the kid down while I tied his feet together and then we would get him back out the window.

Exactly as expected his eyes shot open the second the tape came down. Ranger had his hands cuffed tightly before Jonathan realized what was happening. Neither of us expected the degree of fight this kid had in him. It took me nearly thirty seconds to subdue him and get his feet secured. I was glad Ranger was the one with me. The kid had some skills and without someone as highly trained as Ranger I wasn't sure I would have succeeded in getting him tied.

I moved back up to his line of vision and he quit struggling as an expression of confusion overtook his face. I bent down to whisper, "You are coming with us back to my office where you are going to answer a few questions. If you answer them to our satisfaction, then I'll bring you back through the front door. If not, then you'll never set foot in this house again. Do I make myself clear?" He nodded that he understood, but the expression on his face clearly told me that he thought I was crazy.

Ranger slung him over his shoulder in a fireman's carry and climbed out the window effortlessly to get us back to the waiting SUV. We rode in complete silence. I could see Jonathan looking at all of the heavily armed men and you could see the wheels of his mind trying to work out who the hell we were and why we took him like this during the night.

When we arrived Ranger told Lester to take us to the back. The entrance at the rear of the building was to the basement level where we had our holding rooms. This would avoid our activities from being captured by the regular surveillance. Only Hector monitored this frequency.

We handled him roughly, but he never winced or looked panicked as we brought him into one of the small sparsely furnished rooms and buckled him into a chair. Once seated, his arms were moved to be clasped behind him running through the steel chair to secure him in the room and I removed the tape from his mouth. He looked me in the eye but didn't say a word. As a soldier, I had to respect his self control. He wasn't complaining, or yelling out threats. He almost appeared to be assessing the situation and cataloguing possible threats.

Ranger spun a chair around and straddled it to sit across from Jonathan to speak. "My name is Carlos Manoso. I'm called Ranger. I am Lucy's Godfather and before you can be cleared to pursue a relationship with her you need to pass a background check by my organization." He paused there and I saw understanding come over the kid's face, but he still didn't say a word, he only nodded.

"We pulled up your background and everything checks out except the two years you seemed to disappear from the grid before you started school in Boston. We want you to explain where you were during those two years." Ranger said and then crossed his arms over the back of the chair waiting for a response.

Jonathan spoke, "Captain Manoso, it's a pleasure to meet you. You're a bit of a legend and I can't believe you're in front of me. To answer your question, I was in basic training at Fort Benning, and then I did my specialist training as a sniper before doing a single year tour of duty in Afghanistan. I would be glad to sign a release for you to access my service record if necessary."

Ranger's eyes narrowed marginally. The fact that he knew Ranger's rank and reputation could either be a blessing or a curse. "I don't need a release to review your service record; my clearance allows me full access. The DOD's server is down and so we decided to give you a chance to man up and give us the information yourself."

I spoke from my place leaning against the door, "Who was your CO in sniper school?"

Jonathan's eyes moved to me for the first time and understanding came over his face. "Lucy told me you were in security, but she made it sound like you were a retail security guard. You're all ex-military aren't you?"

"Right now you answer the questions. If everything checks out we will let you know exactly who we are so that you can understand who you're dealing with." Ranger cut him off.

"I was trained in South Carolina by Sergeant Tibbs, sir," He responded.

I knew Al Tibbs; we went through basic at the same time. I slipped out of the room leaving Jonathan and Ranger engaged in a staring contest the kid had no hope of winning.

I found the number in the database RangeMan kept of all our military contacts. It was 0200 hours, but I knew Tibbs would answer my call so I dialed it hoping I wasn't interrupting anything.

A groggy sergeant answered and I identified myself by name and rank which woke him up completely as he laughed and then asked what the hell I wanted at this ungodly hour. I It was nice to know he hadn't changed much since the last time we crossed paths on a mission.

I explained the situation and he laughed long and hard before asking, "How did you get the slip on Johnny?"

"I snatched him while he was sleeping in my guestroom." I replied honestly relieved to know Tibbs knew him.

That set my old friend off on a new round of hysterics and then he calmed down enough to tell me that the kid had been in ROTC in Florida, but when terrorist activities began to increase abroad he bumped up his enlistment date and joined after completing his sophomore year in college. He breezed through basic and showed an aptitude for shooting so Uncle Sam took him through sniper school. "The kid is a natural with a gun. Honestly, when he finished training the last time I talked to him I thought about how much he reminded me of you. I'd never seen someone with the combination of talent and instinct like you until I saw him."

Jonathan was sent to Afghanistan into some real hell holes on assignment and returned with a 100% success rate, which in this day and age of dirty fighting was nearly unheard of. I thanked Tibbs for his time and promised to buy him a beer the next time we were together.

I walked slowly back into the holding room and saw Jonathan was looking at the door and Ranger was still staring straight at the kid. Clearly the staring contest had a winner.

I went in and pulled my universal cuff key to remove the shackles from his hands, then switched to my knife to cut the bindings from his ankles. Ranger raised an eyebrow at me and I held my hand out to Jonathan to shake it sincerely. "Kid, my name is Captain Edmund Ramsey, sniper and Ranger in the US Army. I've been at RangeMan since my contract ended with Uncle Sam. We are in security, but for Lucy's safety I have never allowed her to explain what that means."

Ranger took over realizing if I was opening up, the kid must have checked out. "RangeMan is my company and we provide security services, monitoring, investigation services and BEA duties when needed. In addition to this we have a strong working relationship with several agencies within the government and often go on short and long term assignments at home and abroad. In order for you to be in a relationship with Lucy, you needed to be fully vetted to know if you could handle the information we are sharing with you. We have all accumulated our fair share of enemies over the years and the safety of our families is our highest concern."

"Understood, sir," Jonathan acknowledged. "I can assure you that Lucy is safe with me." He then went on to tell the same basic information that Tibbs had just conveyed except he left out his success rate. Maybe the kid was modest after all.

We spent the next few hours talking to him, answering his questions and asking some of our own. By the time we finished his 'interrogation,' we all felt as though he could be trusted with Lucy's safety. As our time drew to a close Ranger extended an olive branch. "I know your plan is to go back into the Army with rank after college, but when you are ready to reenter civilian life again, I hope you'll call me. We're always looking for new recruits in our organization and we can accommodate any reserve needs you may have better than most companies."

"I appreciate the offer, sir," He said clearly star struck to be in front of 'the' Ranger Manoso. I understood the feeling even if it had been years since I'd felt it personally. Binkie brought down a pair of RangeMan sweat pants for him to put on over the boxers he'd been wearing when we pulled him out of bed. I put my hand on Jonathan's back and led him back to the SUV out back. We rode along in silence until he requested permission to ask me a question.

I smiled at his formal nature and nodded before he asked, "Did you really hit a target in the jungle that was hiding in the bushes without even seeing him? I mean, how did you know it was him, and not one of your own? Your instincts are a bit of a legend and I've love a chance to train with you if you have time."

I recognized a bit of sucking up when I saw it but at the same time I was interested in seeing him shoot. I decided to toy with him and replied, "Most of that information is classified because it was on a mission, but I can tell you that everything you appear to have heard happened." I failed to detail how I knew it was safe to pull the trigger and how it was dumb luck that I hit the target in the first place. A little mystery would be good for keeping him on his toes around me.

The sun was just beginning to rise when we got back to the house, and true to my word I walked him through the front door. I figured I needed to apologize so I offered to let him run with me. It would give me a chance to see what kind of shape he was in and it would explain why we were suddenly better acquainted if the girls picked up on it later.

I stowed my weapons and changed quietly to avoid waking Steph. She looked like a beautiful angel sleeping in our bed with her hair thrown over the pillow. Her face had a slight smile as if she were dreaming about some sort of mischief. If the kid hadn't been downstairs waiting on me I wouldn't have been able to resist climbing in bed with her.

We booked five miles and he easily kept up with me. A little too easily actually, I'd need to remember to only run with Binkie. We had a similar rhythm and I never felt out of breath with him like I did with Jonathan.

While we were stretching out the back door opened and Steph and Lucy stepped out greeting us with huge smiles. Lucy walked right over and pushed up on her toes to kiss Jonathan. He caught my eye and kissed her on the cheek instead of the lips like she was obviously expecting. I looked away and into the suspicious eyes of my wife who pulled me to her with two handfuls of my shirt. Allowing her lips to touch mine she asked, "What did you do to Jonathan?"

"I listened to him," I replied honestly. "I gave him a chance to explain his intent with our daughter and I found out I liked the kid." I put my arms around her pulling her body closer despite my sweaty appearance. "I don't like the idea of anybody dating my little girl, but if she's going to insist on being in a relationship I think I could grow to like him." That explanation earned me a kiss from my wife and a command to go take a shower.

The girls went shopping leaving us to entertain ourselves. Of course we ended up at RangeMan where he got a proper tour and we finished up in the range where I put him through his paces. I gave him a few pointers, disappointed that Tibbs hadn't covered some of the basics better. Maybe Ranger was right and I should spend more time training the new recruits. If this is how they were being taught, they could all use a little extra range time.

By the time we headed back to the house for dinner I had decided I honestly liked the kid. I told him he was welcome to come back anytime and he could date my daughter as long as he treated her with respect and remembered that I was a highly trained and decorated Ranger. I could kill him with as great an ease as I took him from his bed. He blanched a little but told me he understood.

That night when we went to bed Steph was still bouncing with excitement. The house had been full of guests for dinner. Lester, Bobby, Ranger, Binkie and his family all joined us for dinner. The guys liked seeing her so we tried to have them over anytime she was home from school. Jonathan was a good sport and played along as though he was just meeting the guys for the first time.

Steph watched everything with a smile on her face and it wasn't until our bedroom door closed and we began to change for bed that she asked, "So how long did it take you to break him to tell you about his past in the Army?"

I naively thought she meant during our time together today so I shrugged as though he opened up immediately. "Did he put up much of a fight when you kidnapped him?" She asked showing me once again that I should never underestimate her skills.

I looked at her confused as to whether I should explain what happened and why, or begin with an apology. I didn't want her to be mad at me, but at the time I really believed we were doing the right thing.

Steph started to laugh which confused me even more. I'd known this woman for over twenty years and I still didn't fell like I understood her reactions sometimes. That elusive manual that Binkie and I talked about seemed further from my grasp than ever all of a sudden.

She let me off the hook by saying, "You didn't call to tell me you were going to be late so I stayed up worrying about you. When you cut the alarm I heard the quick signal to the house and went to the monitor in the closet to see what was happening. I couldn't believe Ranger hauled him off, bound like a criminal. Then I began to worry that the only reason you guys would do something like that was if he was a criminal and then I couldn't be angry because I knew you'd stop at nothing to keep Lucy safe."

She moved closer to me to finish, "Then the next day when you guys came in from your run I realized you had bonded somehow so I figured whatever had worried you last night had been explained and you had found a way to turn a potential relationship breaking circumstance into a male bonding thing so I let it go and said nothing to Lucy."

"Thank you," I told her, trying to show my appreciation for her reserving judgment against us for our rash decision and for not telling our daughter and causing her to lose faith in me.

She ran her hands up and down my chest, distracting me from what she was saying, "I told you when Lucy was born that I'd have to keep my eye on you when she started dating. I knew at some point you'd freak out and something like this would happen, I just no idea how extreme you would take it." Then she wrapped her arms around me pulling my body against her own to add, "Hopefully he will be the one. She loves him, and it would be nice to have the whole vetting process over with you too."

I began to kiss her and then the full force of what she said hit me. I pulled back slightly, but Stephanie shook her head and said, "No more talking, I want to go to bed with my husband tonight. I missed you while you were playing terrorist last night."

I resented the accusation about what we were doing as being terrorist activity, but the sensation of Steph's hand moving down my chest to the top of my pants helped me decide arguing about semantics right now was probably not the best use of my energy. I was a man of action, not of words, and right now seemed the perfect time to have a little action.

As I laid on top of Steph and she pulled my face to hers I had no more words. We began to communicate and open up to each other with the language of our bodies that we had perfected over time. Years ago I received her affection when I learned to listen to her heart. All this time later I still believed it was my favorite voice to hear.


End file.
